Electric boat records smashed

Jaguar Vector Racing has broken the outright world and English national electric speed records in a battery-powered boat.

The unique Jaguar Vector V20E recorded an average speed of 88.61mph (142.6km/h) across the two legs of the famous 1km course on Coniston Water, England – the same piece of water where Donald Campbell met his demise in a record attempt in 1967.

The electric boat was designed and constructed by Jaguar Vector in partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering. Jaguar Vector co-founder and technical director Peter Dredge piloted the V20E.

Following Jaguar’s announcement in October 2017 to become the exclusive title partner of Vector, the team will attempt further world and national records over the next 18 months as part of a major initiative to push the boundaries of performance and to showcase British engineering.

“After 12 months of hard work, this is a fantastic result for the team and our partners and a great first step in bringing the power and versatility of electrification to the marine industry,” said Malcolm Crease, CEO, Jaguar Vector Racing.

“It is a great honour for the Vector team to follow in the footsteps of Donald Campbell CBE and to set a world record on the historic Coniston Water.”

Mark Cameron, Director of Experiential Marketing, Jaguar Land Rover continued: “Jaguar is at the forefront of electrification technology and our mission is to ‘Race To Innovate’ on track and on the water.

“Thank you to the whole team and our technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering for successfully transferring the technology we are using in Formula E with Panasonic Jaguar Racing from race car to power boat,” he concluded.